[Kugyince]

Alex Kidd is an excellent example of why just forcing a game on the public doesn't make it a success. Even without being bundled, Mario games sell outstandingly. Why? Simply because they are fun. The controls are wicked tight, the games are highly addicting, the levels are well thought out, and they revolutionalized the entire platform genre.

Bonk's jump control is clunky and the head-butt drop and spin float are awkward. The main point is Bonk really didn't introduce anything groundbreaking to it's genre while the SMB/SMW series has consistently done so.

To further address the issue, maybe Mario wasn't popular because it was bundled with the highest selling system? Maybe the NES was the highest selling system because it was bundled with Mario? After all, the reason why the Coleco was so successful (and on its way to outselling the Atari until the crash came) is because it was bundled with Donkey Kong.